The Crimson Stain
by Flame Soldier
Summary: Gumshoe is kidnapped by a man who has a vendetta against Miles Edgeworth. The only clue left behind is a single crimson stain. How will Edgeworth deal with his friend's kidnapping? Will he be able to save him?
1. Chapter 1

**The Crimson Stain**

**A/N I don't own Phoenix Wright or any of its characters. This fic takes place after Trials and Tribulations, so there might be references to earlier games. There won't be any major spoilers though... Yet again, I'm adding another fanfic to my plate... Sorry for all you Perfection fans out there, but I'll still be slow at updating that because it takes me along time to think up ideas that would be Manfred von Karma-y. Anyways, this isn't a slash fic, or romance fic at all. It's Gumshoe and Edgeworth friendship, because I really don't think that there's enough fics about the pair... But I digress... On to the fic!**

Gumshoe glanced around at the dimly lit bar. He was supposed to be meeting someone here who had information about the case he was working on, but so far no one had shown up. The bar was strangely empty, and there was only one barkeeper working that day. It actually made him kind of nervous... He wouldn't have come at all, except for the fact that Mr. Edgeworth was pushing them hard to find the killer. He could understand why; it was a brutal killing of a young woman. It was the most violent case the department had had in a long time. He glanced around the empty room again, scowling as there was no sign of his informant.

"Could I get you a drink, sir?" the barkeeper asked.

Gumshoe looked up at the barkeeper in surprise. Usually in lowdown places like this, people weren't polite. "Sure, pal," he replied absently, trying not to stare at the stitches the barkeeper had running down his face. He must have been in one tough bar fight, but then again this far into the slums that sort of thing was probably common.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Detective."

Gumshoe whipped around to see a large man standing behind him. He had a blue baseball cap pulled down so it shaded his face. He glanced down at the black and gold football jersey the man wore. "The Steelers? You're not from around here, are you?"

"I don't believe where I'm from is important. I believe I'm just here to give you some information," the man said gruffly.

The detective frowned, unhappy with the man's attitude. "Alright, pal. What've you got for me? This is about the Shervaldi case, right?" He took a swig of the drink the bartender had given him.

"I know who did it," he replied.

Gumshoe stared at him and waited for him to say more. The man just stared back, and he creased his brow. "Well?"

"What's in it for me if I tell you?"

The detective blinked and his frown deepened. "Look, I don't have the authority to offer you anything. If the DA wants to reward you if your information's good, that's his decision. Now just give me the information."

"I want fifty thousand."

Scowling, Gumshoe took a long pull of his drink, emptying his glass. Another was placed in front of him. "Listen, pal. I don't even get paid fifty thousand a year."

The man raised his eyebrows. "That's unfortunate for you, Detective... It looks like I won't be giving you that information after all..."

Gumshoe rubbed his eyes, beginning to lose his focus. He glared at the man and took another gulp of his drink. "Look, if you would just tell me, I'll put in a good word with the DA. I'm sure I'll be able to get you something for your troubles..."

He didn't answer. Instead, he said: "Tell me, do you know Miles Edgeworth?"

"Mr. Edgeworth? Of course, he's my fr- er... a prosecutor I work with frequently..."

"I know he's your friend, Dick. You're probably one of the only friends he has." The man smiled slightly.

Gumshoe shrugged. "Well he doesn't exactly call me a friend, but... Wait... How do you know my name?"

"Oh, I've been looking into your friend quite a bit... I probably know him better than you do."

At this point, the detective had half risen from his chair, trying to banish his dizziness.

"Goodnight, Dick..." the man brought down a bottle of red wine over Gumshoe's head, knocking him out cold. The crimson liquid poured from the bottle, spilling onto the floor.

"He was already drugged. That was really unnecessary," the bartender commented.

The man shrugged. "It was taking too long. Besides, this was more fun..."

"That's going to leave a stain you know."

He shrugged again. "Not my bar... Now come on, help me get him into the van."

The two men lugged the unconscious Gumshoe to a broken down old van and threw him inside, leaving nothing at the bar but a single crimson stain.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Crimson Stain Chapter Two**

Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth sat at his desk, sipping his afternoon tea. It was peacefully quiet, which was odd for this time of day. "Perhaps Detective Gumshoe has finally learned not to bother me at work."

A smile graced his lips as he decided how ridiculous the notion was. Gumshoe never could take a hint... Most likely he was tied up in some investigation. He tipped his head slightly, trying to remember what Gumshoe had been prattling on about yesterday.

_"For the last time Detective, I don't know what you should do about Miss Byrde!" Miles exclaimed, annoyed.  
_

_"Sorry sir..." Gumshoe sighed and scratched the back of his head._

_"Now how's the Shervaldi case coming? Any suspects?"_

_"I think I've found a new lead, sir, but I'm not too sure if I should pursue it... The source seems kind of... sketchy..."_

_"Of course you should pursue it!" he snapped. "What kind of detective are you?" He drummed his fingers on his desk impatiently. "You do realize that your evaluation is coming up soon, don't you?"_

_Gumshoe winced. "I know sir... But um... I kind of wanted to talk to you about that... You see... It's um... Getting hard for me to afford to pay my bills..."_

_"Get me a suspect for the Shivaldi case, and then we'll talk about getting you a raise... Dismissed."_

_"Yes sir..."_

Miles frowned slightly. Perhaps he treated Detective Gumshoe too harshly... If the man couldn't even afford his bills... He shook his head. It was the detective's own fault. If he hadn't always assisted Phoenix Wright so much or if he hadn't muddled so many investigations... Why was Gumshoe assigned to so many cases anyway?

Sighing, he placed his teacup down. Gumshoe meant well, and he was always there when he needed him, but... He was just so... goofy. He had to admit though, that he was rather fond of him...

Miles looked up as there was a knock at the door. "That must be the good detective now... Strange, usually he just barges right in... Come in," he called.

Mike Meekins entered the office and instantly raised his hand in salute. "Goodday Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth sir!" He raised his megaphone to his mouth. "The police chief would like to have a word with Detective Gumshoe, sir!"

The prosecutor winced at the loudness of Meekins' voice. "Put that thing down!" he ordered.

"Yessir! Sorry sir!" Meekins lowered the microphone and saluted.He looked around. "Is Detective Gumshoe here, sir?"

"No," he snapped. "Does it look like he's here?" Miles scowled at him. "This is my office, may I remind you, not Detective Gumshoe's..."

"Oh..." Meekins twiddled his two pointer fingers together as he glanced away apologetically. "Sorry sir... It's just that no one has seen him all day... And he hasn't answered his radio... He's not at the precinct, or his house... Or any of his usual places, so the chief figured he'd be here..."

"Well he's not, so you might as well leave..." Miles opened the door and pointed.

"Yessir..."

_"I think I've found a new lead, sir, but I'm not too sure if I should pursue it... The source seems kind of... sketchy..."_

"Wait," Miles said, frowning. "What was the last thing anyone saw him doing?"

"He said he was going to follow up on a new lead he found," the officer replied. "Didn't say where though..."

He creased his brow for a moment. "You may go..." He didn't pay any more mind to Meekins as the officer escorted himself out. "Sketchy... Something bad couldn't have happened to him, could it?" He shook his head. "No, of course not... No one could possibly hurt Gumshoe... He's just too..." He struggled to find the right word. "Lovable," he decided, and instantly grimaced at himself. Lovable? No, more like unbearably irritating...

His cell phone started ringing, and he glanced at the caller ID before picking up. It was Gumshoe. Of course, trust Gumshoe to call _him _when he was the only one _not_ searching for him... "Edgeworth here... What do you want, Detective?"

"That's not a very nice way to greet a friend, now is it?" The voice wasn't Gumshoe's. Not even close.

"Who is this?"

"Who I am isn't important," the cold voice informed him. "What's important is who's with me..."

A bucket of ice dropped into the pit of his stomach as he clearly hear the voice of Gumshoe. "You won't get away with this, pal!"

"What... What do you want?" Miles demanded, trying to keep his voice calm. The last thing he wanted to do is make himself seem desperate; that would just give whoever that was more leeway with him.

"To see you sweat. Good day, Miles Edgeworth."

Miles sank into his chair as he heard the click signifying the man hanging up. "G-Gumshoe? He's... No!" The corners of his vision faded into black as he realized the implication of what was going on. With his head spinning, it was hard for him to think, but finally he realized that he should call the police.

* * *

"So he didn't make any demands?" The detective questioned for the fifth time.

"No," Miles replied irritably. He had been in questioning for what seemed like hours even though the conversation must have been only fifteen seconds long. "He just said he wanted to see me sweat..."

"So it's an enemy of yours," the detective said. "Maybe the family of someone you got declared guilty..."

He sighed. "If it is, that doesn't narrow it down any... I must have gotten over one hundred people convicted..." He narrowed his eyes. "It doesn't make sense..." He clenched hisleft sleeve with his right hand. "Why Detective Gumshoe? He never hurt anyone... He's... He's like a big teddy bear... If they wanted revenge on me, why didn't they just kidnap me instead?"

"You've been in this business long enough to know that these guys rarely make sense," he replied."It could be that they thought this would hurt you more."

Miles looked away. "I know..." He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the crushing feelings of guilt. If he hadn't pushed Gumshoe so hard to follow that lead.

_"Get me a suspect for the Shivaldi case, and then we'll talk about getting you a raise... Dismissed."_

How could he have said that? The poor man could barely afford to eat and he was too busy obsessing about work to help him... This was his fault... All his fault. What if Gumshoe got killed because of him? His head spun and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it all out. He remembered something similar to this happening to Wright... Maya was found alright... Gumshoe would be found too...

Miles lifted his head to look at the detective. "We have to get Gumshoe back. If it's the last thing I do, I need to see him again..."

"Don't worry sir, we'll find him."

Of course, the main question now, was how?


	3. Chapter 3

**The Crimson Stain Chapter Three  
A/N I'd like to thank my reviewers. :D  
**

"Urgh..." Gumshoe opened his eyes slowly, trying to ignore the pounding pain in his head. Where was he? What was going on. He frowned, trying to remember.

"Who I am isn't important... What's important is who's with me..."

Gumshoe's eyes widened as the memories rushed back to him. "You won't get away with this, pal!" He missed what else the man said, but he could make out the name Miles Edgeworth being spoken.

Gumshoe glared at the man as he snapped his cell phone closed. He flexed his arm muscles, trying to snap the bonds that tied him to a stiff wooden chair. They were tied back in an uncomfortable position behind the back of the chair. Each of his legs were bound to the front leg of the chair.

"Comfortable, Detective?" his kidnapper asked.

"What do you want with me?" He asked, ignoring the question. His eyes scanned the dimly lit room he was in. The walls were pretty much bare, and the floor was concrete that look damp. As he released his breath, he noticed a foggy vapor hanging in the air. Shivering, he realized that the man had taken his coat, along with the gun he carried.

"That is not your concern, Detective."

Gumshoe scowled. "Yes it is! Let me go!"

The man just blinked and gazed at him for a few moments. "It's not you that we want to hurt, Detective..."

The detective's eyes narrowed. "Then who..." Something clicked in his mind. "Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Heh... Maybe you're not as bad a detective as I thought," he commented. "You are correct. I'm going to get to Miles Edgeworth through you."

"Hehe... It's not going to work, pal. I'm a Detective. They're going to be all over the place looking for me..."

"If the rest of the police force is like you, I don't think I have much to worry about... But enough about me... why don't you tell me about Miles Edgeworth?"

Gumshoe didn't reply, instead scanning the room again, looking for something that could help him escape. He frowned, not seeing anything helpful.

"Oh, don't worry, Detective. I've made sure to take anything that might be useful to you..."

"Whatever you're planning isn't going to work," Gumshoe gave a half-smile. "Not with Mr. Edgeworth on the case!"

"We'll see, Detective... We'll see..."

* * *

"Damn it, Gumshoe," Miles hissed in frustration. "Why didn't you tell anyone where you were going?" He was currently watching detectives scrounge through Gumshoe's desk, trying to find a clue of where he had been before disappearing. So far all that had been found was probably a year's supply of empty instant noodle packages... Making his way over to the desk, he pushed aside some of the packages. He spotted a case file and picked it up. "Shivaldi... I think this is what we're looking for..." He flipped the folder opened and thumbed through the contents. He instantly recognized Gumshoe's childish scrawl.

The detectives all turned toward him, waiting for him to glean something from the case file. "Victim background... Autopsy report..." He paused as he spotted something written on the back of the autopsy report. It was definitely Gumshoe's handwriting. "Two o'clock..." He glanced at the clock. It was eleven now... "9470 Shell Street. Dar Bah... Dar Bah? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's the name of a bar," one of the detectives replied. "We have to go there a lot because that's a place where things often get violent..."

"I see..." Miles scowled. How could Gumshoe have gone to a place like that without back-up? Was he an idiot? No, he decided. It was just Gumshoe being Gumshoe... "Come on, we need to get people over there right away." He turned and strode out of the precinct, towards his red sports car.

A detective caught up to him. "Er... You might not want to bring a car like that to where we're going, sir..."

He blinked. "Right..."

"You can ride with me sir..."

They spent the ride in silence, Miles not being in the mood for small talk. The only sound that could be heard was the wailing of the sirens. He had insisted on using them, being too impatient to sit through the traffic. Besides, he reasoned. This was an emergency... A detective could be in danger...

Miles stared out the window, watching the buildings blur by. He kept his face impassive and made sure to stay composed at all times. It was unprofessional to act otherwise. He just needed to treat this like any other case...

The detective pulled to a stop in front of Dar Bah. Opening the door, Miles got out and glanced around the area dispassionately. It run down and there was a man in rundown clothing sleeping next to the door. Glancing at the man, he opened the door to the bar before he and the detective entered.

The crowd in the bar all turned to look at them, but Miles payed them no mind. Instead his attention was focused on a large crimson stain on the floor.

* * *

Gumshoe stared up at the ceiling. He had no idea how long he had been there, but it must have been at least for a few hours... His kidnapper had left awhile ago, and now he was left alone. A sigh escaped his lips causing a white fog to hang over his head for a few moments before dissipating. "It's freezing in here..."

"Actually, it's forty degrees. Well above freezing..."

Gumshoe would have jumped had he not been tied down. "Wh-who's there?"

A man that had stitches running down his face stepped into Gumshoe's view.

"You! You're that bartender!" he exclaimed.

"That is correct... However, you may call me de Killer."

Gumshoe's eyes widened. "The assassin!" He swallowed, feeling fear trickle down his spine. "Someone hired you to kill me?"

The assassin shook his head. "No... If I was hired to kill you, you would already be dead..."

He sighed in relief, but then frowned in confusion. "Wait... Then what are you doing here?"

"Fulfilling my client's request. You see, I've already done my assassination... The other part of the request was to make sure the police don't find you..."

"Why?"

De Killer shrugged. "It's not my job to ask, my good detective... But let me warn you that my client would rather see you dead than have you escape, understand?"

Gumshoe swallowed. "Yeah... I understand..."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Crimson Stain Chapter Four**

Gumshoe let his eyes close. He couldn't feel his arms anymore, due to the odd way he was tied to the chair. He tried to remember his training. Surely they had trained him for something like this? After a moment, he shook his head, deciding it was useless. He never was good at remembering things...

"Mm... It's getting colder in here."

Gumshoe turned his head and stared at de Killer. He was sitting a ways off and had spent the last hour or so in absolute silence.

"It's about thirty degrees now," the assassin continued. "It's a shame you don't have a coat... I sincerely hope your prosecutor friend hurries up."

The detective shivered having been reminded of the cold. He stared at de Killer for a few more moments before speaking. "Why are you here? You're an assassin, not a babysitter."

"I am currently waiting for my employer to pay me," he replied. "He will pay me after you fulfill your purpose."

"Purpose?" He knitted his brows together, thinking. "And what would that be?"

"That's something for you to figure out, Detective."

Gumshoe scowled and stared out at the grimy gray wall that was a little ways out in front of him. He knew it had something to do with Edgeworth, but what? To get to him? That didn't make sense... Mr. Edgeworth didn't care about him that much, did he? Shaking his head, he blew his breath out, forming a white cloud. As he stared at it, a different thought occurred to him. "You did it, didn't you? You killed Miss Shivaldi."

"Very good, Detective. I did indeed."

"You didn't leave your card."

De Killer shifted a bit in his spot. "No... It was a request from my client that I not leave the card... Quite unusual, really..."

The detective closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again. "Why?"

"Why what?" the assassin asked. "You really should be more clear in your questioning."

"Why did you kill her?"

"Because I was paid to." He answered simply.

Gumshoe's eyes narrowed. "How could you? How could you just go and kill some woman that you didn't know? She never did anything to you! You've never even met her! She had a family! You're disgusting, pal! You're even worse than your clients!"

"I'd be careful what you say, Detective. Unless you want to become my next victim that is?" De Killer's voice took on a dangerous edge, causing Gumshoe to flinch slightly, although he still burned with anger. "The De Killers are an honorable line of assassins. Even though I am the one physically doing the killing, the blood is on my client's hands, not my own."

The Detective glared at him. Scum like de Killer was one of the main reasons that he joined the police force. He would bring killers like him to justice! Killing someone was killing someone, whether they were paid to or not! "One day, de Killer, you will face justice!"

"Yes, no one can escape final judgment, however, if you mean justice as in your pathetic courts, then you are mistaken." De Killer regarded him coolly.

Gumshoe exhaled loudly, a puff of white smoke escaping his lips. _Please, hurry up, Mr. Edgeworth. I have to bring this creep to justice if it's the last thing I do!

* * *

  
_Miles stared at the crimson stain on the ground, his eyes wide. "That's not..."

"That? Someone broke a bottle of burgundy." The bar tender put down the rag he was using to wipe down the bar. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"A detective has gone missing," the officer explained. "This was his last known location."

"Hmph. I don't know anything about any cop coming here. What did he look like?"

As the officer began describing Gumshoe to the man, Miles let his gaze wander about the bar. Clues... He needed clues... Bending down, he touched the burgundy stain with his fingers. It wasn't that old, meaning it probably happened this morning...

"He hasn't seen him, sir." the prosecutor snapped his head up to see the officer standing over him. "And he requests that we get out as soon as possible, since 'our kind' makes his customers edgy."

"In a moment..." he stood up and made his way over to the bar.

The barkeep looked at him reproachfully. "What do you want, pal?"

Miles winced, remembering Gumshoe at that instant. "When did the floor get stained?"

"Dunno... It was like that before I came."

The prosecutor blinked. Really? That was strange... "When did you get here?"

"The bar opens at six pm, so... Maybe twenty minutes before that?"

Miles frowned. "That you for your time..." That didn't make sense... Gumshoe was supposed to be meeting someone here at two... If the bar didn't open until six... Who could have met him here? He made his way over to the officer before glancing back at the barkeeper suspiciously. "He says the bar doesn't open until six."

"But Dick was meeting someone at two, wasn't he? Do you think the barkeeper was in on it?"

"I don't know," the prosecutor admitted. "We don't really know if he even made it here... His patrol car is missing... He could have been grabbed on the way."

"Right... So there's no basis for a warrant to get him down for questioning... Great..."

Miles creased his brow for a moment, annoyed. Sometimes it seemed that the legal system only complicated things... "Let's look around outside to see if we can find anything that could be a clue..."

"Yessir."

Outside, Miles scanned the dingy street carefully, searching for any signs of struggle. Gumshoe was a big man, it would be likely that he put up a fight... He scowled as he saw nothing of any use. "So many people have walked by by now... Any sign of him would have been covered up by now..."

His cell phone rang, nearly causing him to jump. A sick feeling entered his stomach as he read Gumshoe's name in the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Miles Edgeworth... I'm surprised. I would have thought your investigation would move quicker than this... Then again, I gather that the good detective is not very organized..."

"Where are you?" Miles demanded.

"Now, if I told you that, it would ruin all the fun, now wouldn't it? No, I called you to give you a present. It's in the dumpster next to Dar Bah... I trust that you'll recognize it." The voice laughed coldly. "Your friend probably wishes he had it right now... It's a bit... nippy where he is."

"What- what do you mean?"

"Good day, Miles Edgeworth."

Grunting in frustration, the prosecutor snapped his phone shut. "Dumpster..." He made his way over to the dumpster and opened it carefully. His lower lip trembled slightly as he removed something. In his hands was a familiar looking tattered old trench coat.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Crimson Stain Chapter 5**

Gumshoe opened his eyes, not sure when he had fallen to sleep. De Killer was gone, replaced with his kidnapper.

"Your friend is rather slow," he commented mildly. "I would have thought the great Miles Edgeworth would have it more figured out by now."

The detective just stared at him dully, his mind not working fast. He wasn't cold anymore, but that was because he had gone completely numb by now.

"What's wrong? Not in a talkative mood, Detective?"

Gumshoe scowled. After a few moments of silence, he said, "Don't worry, he'll find me, pal. And when he does, you and that assassin will get what you deserve."

"And what do I deserve, Detective?" he asked mildly, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"The death sentence," he hissed. "You killed an innocent woman! For nothing!"

"I wouldn't say it was for nothing, Dick. It's all a part of my game."

"You're sick, pal. You know that?" Gumshoe's eyes narrowed. "You make me sick!"

"Then I must be playing the game correctly."

* * *

"The only DNA on it is yours and Mr. Gumshoe's," the forensics expert replied. "There's no extra fingerprints, skin cells or hair... Who ever planted it must have been very careful."

"I see." Miles frowned, disappointed. This case was looking to be impossible.

"If it makes you feel better, sir. There was no sign of blood on the coat either, so it looks like they haven't harmed him too much..."

He nodded. "Thank you..." He turned and walked out of the forensics department, sighing heavily. He blinked, then forced himself to straighten up. He wasn't going to get anywhere by skulking. He had to stop letting his emotions cloud his mind! Since the police department was a collection of bumbling idiots, he would have to solve it himself! Now what was it the kidnapper said? That it was nippy? So somewhere cold...

"Detective Smith!"

"Yes sir?" The detective looked up from his desk as Edgeworth walked into Criminal affairs.

"I think I have a lead... I need you to find information on any warehouse in the area that's been used to store things that need to be refrigerated."

Detective Smith sighed. "You couldn't have narrowed it down any more than that? Do you have any idea how many warehouses there are?"

Miles sighed, a bit frustrated. He was used to Gumshoe, who followed his orders without question. "It's the only lead we have, Detective... We must follow it."

Smith furrowed his brow. "I'm the one in charge of this investigation, and I don't think we should be wasting our resources on such a vague lead..."

"You have almost the entire police force for this!" A detective was kidnapped, didn't the fool know this?

"We're already drowning in the investigation as it is... Mr. Edgeworth, we already have so much to investigate... We're investigating your enemies, and enemies Dick may have had..."

Enemies? Gumshoe? Who could be an enemy of Gumshoe? The prosecutor crossed his arms, taping his right index finger on his arm.

"Are you absolutely certain he's in a warehouse somewhere? What's your reasoning?"

Edgeworth narrowed his eyes, irritated that he had to explain his logic to the man. Sighing, he explained his conversation with the kidnapper. "Ergo, it's very likely hat he's in a refrigerated warehouse."

"Or he could be in an apartment with air conditioning... It's not much to go on." The detective sighed as he caught sight of Edgeworth's irritated face. "Look, I know you're worried about Dick... It's making you jump to conclusions..."

"I am not jumping to conclusions!" He argued, glaring at the detective.

Smith sighed. "Alright... We'll look into it, Mr. Edgeworth."

* * *

"Hmm... You know, Detective... Maybe the Mr. Edgeworth isn't trying very hard to find you..." The kidnapper looked over at Gumshoe, looking amused. He grinned as Gumshoe glanced away from him, saying nothing. "Maybe he doesn't really care about you after all."

"You... You're wrong pal!" Gumshoe turned his head and glared at him. "Mr. Edgeworth will find me!" He bit his lip, trying to ignore the nagging doubt in his mind. Mr. Edgeworth was trying to find him, right? Sure, he was busy with the Shivaldi case, but he'd find some spare time to find him, right?

"You don't seem to sure of yourself, Dick. Maybe it was a mistake to kidnap you... Maybe I should have grabbed Phoenix Wright instead... Maybe I should just kill you now."

Gumshoe's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly tried to hide it.

"Do you think that's what I should do, Dick?" He reached into his pocket and removed a switchblade from his pocket. He flipped the knife open. "I could kill you and then start from scratch."

Gumshoe turned his head away, not wanting to show his fear to the man. He closed his eyes as he felt the cold steel against his cheek.

"You know... Some kidnappers cut off a part of the victim to prove that they're serious... Do you think I should do that instead?" He traced the knife gently from the corner of the detective's mouth to his ear.

Gumshoe took a shuddering breath, wincing as he felt the stinging on his cheek where the knife had left a small cut. "N-n..." He took another breath before turning t glare at his kidnapper. "No matter what happens to me, he'll find you! Mr. Edgeworth will find you, and bring you to justice!"


	6. Chapter 6

**The Crimson Stain Chapter 6**

**A/N Wow, two months? *wince* I hadn't realized its been that long...

* * *

**

Gumshoe focused on keeping his breathing steady. He could feel blood trickling down his cheek, but he refused to show his fear.

"Justice..." The cold steel of the knife pressed against the detectives cheek. "And what is justice? What gives Miles Edgeworth the right to determine who deserves justice or not? What gives Miles Edgeworth the right to decide to send innocent people to jail!" The man's voice had turned angry, and the knife bit into the detective's cheek.

He winced as he felt even more blood trickle down his face. Shunting away the pain, he asked, "Mr. Edgeworth... He sent someone you knew to jail?"

The kidnapper pulled back from him, regret clearly written on his face. He seemed to regret revealing so much of himself. "You had better hope that those don't get infected... It seems things on Edgeworth's end are moving slowly... He's just now trying to figure out your location."

"... How do you know all this, pal?"

"That's something for you to think about, Detective." He sat down on a stiff wooden chair, facing him. "Wouldn't want to make it too easy for you to figure out..."

"... A traitor... Someone's telling you what's going on, aren't they?" Gumshoe demanded, his eyes narrowing.

He just shrugged. "Maybe... Maybe not." He smirked. "They say that after the first 72 hours, the trail goes cold... How long has it been now?"

The detective frowned, not knowing the answer. Had it been a full day? More than that perhaps? He had spent a lot of the time unconscious... How long had it taken for them to even know he was missing?

"Twenty five hours." He answered Gumshoe's unspoken question. "More than a third of your time is up... Do you know what happens when the 72 hours are up?"

Slowly, he shook his head, trying to swallow the sickening feeling in his stomach.

"Well... Let's just say that I'll have to start all over again.

* * *

Miles hesitated before knocking on the door. He had never wanted him to be involved, but... The police weren't helping him at all... He needed his help! Even if that meant swallowing his pride.

The door opened. "Edgeworth? You're back from Europe?"

"I have been for a long time, listen-"

"And you didn't tell me? Why not?" The man crossed his arms, shooting him an accusatory glare.

"Wright, there isn't time for that... Something has happened." The prosecutor gazed at the ground for a moment, looking up again he saw that his friend's gaze had softened, worry replacing the anger.

"What's wrong?" Phoenix moved aside to let him into the office. He motioned for Edgeworth to sit.

He did not however, instead pacing a bit. "Wright... Someone kidnapped Detective Gumshoe."

"What?" The defense attorney took a step backwards, falling back onto the couch. "He... Why? Why would anyone do that?"

Miles clasped his hands behind his back. He chewed on his lip fr a moment before telling him the story. He started with the first phone call and ended with Detective Smith's lack of cooperation.

Phoenix listened in shock to the whole thing. At a few points, he looked as if he was going to interrupt to ask something, but he held his tongue.

The room was silent for a few moments as the lawyers just stared at each other. Finally, Phoenix broke the silence.

"Edgeworth, I'm sorry..." He hesitated, as if not knowing what to say. "They'll find him... I know they will."

"No, they won't," he replied firmly. "That's why I'm here, Wright... I need your help. The police... They only seem to get in my way... Something you're used to, I'm sure." He smiled bitterly.

He nodded. "Of course I'll help you... I don't have any cases to take care of right now. Even if I did, this is much more important."

"We have to hurry," Edgeworth said. "It's been more than a day since he's gone missing... With each passing hour the trail grows colder..."

Phoenix nodded and studied his friend for a moment. "You haven't slept at all, have you? I can see the bags under your eyes."

"I'll sleep after I find the detective," he answered coolly. "Don't worry about me."

He nodded. "Alright..." he hesitated for a moment before adding. "Everything will be okay you know... Detective Gumshoe will be fine."

Miles turned away from him. "... Why don't I believe you?"


End file.
